Originally Posted by Ranger
OK. I know that the question has been asked a thousand times and i have scoured the forums and read what i believe to be is most everything concerning this issue. HOwever, i still have questions. I presently have two 8 speed mountain bikes. Eight speed parts are hard to find on the big online bike retailers sites. (performance, pricepoint, jenson, nashbar etc.)
Isn't the real differential here the fact that the 9 speed is thinner, ie, cogs thinner, more tightly spaced hence requiring a thinner chain?
I was always under the impression that 6/7/8 speed stuff was mix-n-match for the most part. The only speed specific would be shifters.
I put a nine speed crank on my 7 speed MTB, haven't had any issues to speak of.